Adam's Complaint Poem by Denise Levertov
Adam's Complaint
Some people,
no matter what you give them,
still want the moon.
The bread,
the salt,
white meat and dark,
still hungry.
The marriage bed
and the cradle,
still empty arms.
You give them land,
their own earth under their feet,
still they take to the roads
And water: dig them the deepest well,
still it’s not deep enough
to drink the moon from.
A very nice poem which depicts gluttony. Unfortunately, our societies are full of these kind of people.
Like Tennyson's Ulysses it throws down a challenge, but this time with wry skepticism of the urge for more, for the moon, for the roads. Adam's Complaint is located in primal imagery. Our hunger is recognized as inexplicable, our longings as ungrateful and impossible. But recognized, nonetheless, like the moon in the bottom of the well.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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10/3/2024 1:03:18 AM # 1.0.0.1119
These kinds of people are never grateful. Your life against theirs, they will always want moire.